Minivans have been great family vehicles ever since the first Dodge Caravan hit showroom floors. Since then, the Chrysler Town and Country has been an upscale version of the Caravan, but now that the Caravan is retiring the Town and Country’s newest redesign has taken a new name: the Chrysler Pacifica. But while the name might be different, the Pacifica is still one of the best family vehicles of any class on the market today.
Stow ‘n Go Seats
The 2017 Pacifica hasn’t just carried over the Stow ‘n Go seats from the Town and Country, it’s improved on them by making the seats easier than ever to fold and drop into their compartments. This saves you the effort of pulling the seats out of the minivan and then putting them back in when you no longer need the Pacifica’s 140.5 cubic feet of cargo space. Not only that, you can safely use the seat compartments to store other items when you need seats instead of extra room.
Hybrid Technology
The 2017 Chrysler Pacifica is the first ever minivan to come with a hybrid option. The Pacifica is already efficient for a minivan, but with plug-in hybrid technology the Pacifica gets an EPA-estimated 566-mile driving range and up to 33 miles of pure electric power. A 120-volt charger comes standard with the Pacifica, but you can also get a 240-volt charger that can bring your battery up to 100 percent in just two hours. All of this means a 2017 Pacifica Hybrid won’t cost you nearly as much at the gas pump as you’d expect from a minivan.
Safety
Safety is always a priority when it comes to family vehicles, and the Pacifica is no exception. For one thing, the 2017 Pacifica was the only minivan in its year to earn a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. It earned this distinction thanks to its ability to stand up to a high-speed crash, but also because its available forward collision warning with active braking feature managed to avoid a collision completely during both the 12 and 25 mph tests. Other safety features include parking assist and the LaneSense lane departure warning.
Entertainment
The Pacifica has one of the best rear seat entertainment systems on the market. The available Uconnect Theater adds two 10.1-inch touch screens to the backs of the front seats, and each one comes with independent wireless headphones and remote controls. As for the media center, that comes with a Blu-Ray player and two HDMI inputs that let you plug in two gaming consoles. Meanwhile, the driver and front passenger can enjoy streaming music and other audio with their available 8.4-inch touch screen infotainment system.
For all these reasons and more, the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica isn’t just a great family vehicle, it’s one of the best family vehicles on the market. With upscale but affordable features, a generous interior with an available built-in vacuum, and six trims that let car buyers choose how many features they want, it’s no wonder the Pacifica has become an overnight success.
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